


Not Letting Go

by cryscendo



Category: DCU (Comics)
Genre: M/M, Mild Language, Minor Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-06
Updated: 2015-06-06
Packaged: 2018-04-03 02:51:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4083841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cryscendo/pseuds/cryscendo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Why come back around then? You are the one who keeps seeking me out. You are at just as much blame as I am, Jason.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not Letting Go

**Author's Note:**

> This short fic was based off a random prompt generator. It's my first time writing a DCU fanfic so my apologies if some characteristics are lacking.

It had been raining continuously for the past few hours that night. Dick Grayson was somewhere in between Gotham and Blüdhaven, patrolling on his own accord, without the direction of Batman’s orders leering over him like he was of some higher power over him. Maybe at one point, the all strong and brave Bruce Wayne was indeed above him. That ship had long since sailed. He was his own hero now, not a sidekick with a cute ring to his title.

The night had been awfully quiet up until about a few minutes prior. It’s when Dick is forced into acknowledging his old friendships and relationships that make him most wishful to be alone. Not to say the previous Robin had any severe tension between him and his friends and family. He still thought highly of his brothers and would be more enthusiastic to go and see them again if it would simply be in his interest, which more often than not, he didn’t feel it to be. He still tried to at least make the plan to welcome himself back to the Wayne Manor, seeing as he was always welcome. Alfred Pennyworth had made sure to remind him often of that.

Out of Dick Grayson’s three younger ‘brothers’, as he liked to see them as, there’s one in particular who he doesn’t have to work very hard to seek out. In fact, said brother typically found his way to Dick before Dick even had to start searching for him. It was impressive really, if not a bit concerning. Jason Todd, though just as much family to him as anyone else, was the last of the three that he wanted trailing him. It would mean very little if it weren’t for the fact that wherever Jason happened to make an appearance, so did the tell-tale sign of death along with it. Something Dick wasn’t fond of getting roped into.

Normally, Dick would have expect as much if it weren’t for the slightly different scenario of their current meeting. Usually, their meetings don’t end up in a quarrel, much less a full fledged fight. However, this time around, things were said. Nothing that one would normally initiate a one on one fight for, though. Jason Todd, however, was not really the dictionary definition of the word ‘normal’ by any aspect of the definition. That can’t be blamed solely on Jason, far from it really. Though he makes the conscious choice to choose vengeance over justice, his past changed him as a person too. Dick still remembers how Jason was before his incident with The Joker. He was a genuine and morally balanced person. Dick sometimes really thought that Jason was not ready to be Robin when he did become the alleged ‘second boy wonder’.

Their fight of words and weapons quickly lead to a situation that the older of the two really had no desire to be in. At this point, he couldn’t even recall why their fight had begun. He just knew that it eventually led up to one of his escrima sticks against Jason’s neck while Jason had the muzzle of his pistol pressed firmly against Dick’s skull. To Dick Grayson, this was a stalemate. To Jason Todd, this was a victory. Dick would probably see this as a loss if it weren’t for the fact that he knew Jason well. Jason couldn’t shoot him even if he wanted to, and it’s reasonable to say that he probably has wanted to. Jason is impulsive, but doesn’t necessarily lack self-control.

“Give it up, Dickie-bird. You lost this one,” Jason said almost unnervingly casual. He’s probably had plenty of experience in the art of threats and murder. Dick doesn’t accept defeat easily, however. He could go all night if he actually felt it necessary. There’s no need for that, though, it wouldn’t get them anywhere.

Despite Jason’s calm exterior, Dick could see very well that he was inwardly livid. Whatever it was that Dick had said really got to him deep under his skin. If there was one thing that Dick was a natural at, it was pushing his brother’s buttons. He knew just what to say to piss someone off, even if unintentionally so. “Give up? That would assume that what we just did could even be considered a fight.”

It was clear that was the wrong thing to say at the moment. Jason’s unmasked expression turned to that of something very bitter. An expression that could kill, one could say. It was all in one swift motion that the grip of Jason’s pistol collided harshly to Dick’s jawline. The brunt of the impact caused Dick to recoil, dropping his escrima stick in the process. He tasted the overwhelming metallic taste of blood fill his mouth. He really should have seen that coming before he even opened his mouth. It was just as fluent of a process as before when Jason gripped tightly to the front of Dick’s Nightwing uniform.

“Who the hell do you think you are, Grayson?” Jason’s voice was saturated with venom as he spoke. “You may be the all powerful and talented Nightwing, but you’re not hot shit. Stop acting like you are.”

Jason’s words didn’t cut as deep as they probably were intended to. Maybe Dick chocked it all up to Jason being angry and spouting whatever he felt he needed to. Even if that involved belittling his efforts at being a justice-driven hero instead of a vengeance-driven anti hero like that of Jason himself. 

It was at that moment that Dick decided enough was enough. Jason came in seeking the trouble he was finding. Dick had nothing to do with that. “Why come back around then? You are the one who keeps seeking me out. You are at just as much blame as I am, Jason.” Dick was expecting another sharp attack to the jaw, half shocked that it never came. Instead, Jason kept that same deadly look as before. His grip, however, loosened slowly before his hands released, falling to his sides and in fists. Dick took this as an opportunity to relocate his jaw, all while keeping his attention directed on the fuming man before him.

Neither male had any sort of weapon in hand by this point. Jason looks as if he was trying to find words to say without spewing off multiple different obscenities. “You’re a fuckin’ fool if you think people always have reasons as to why they do what they do, Dick. You of all people on this god forsaken earth should know that well enough by now.”

Dick did know that. And Jason was right, for him to think otherwise would be very wishful thinking on Dick’s part. But that being said, he still felt as though Jason did have more of a reason than he was letting on. He claims that he can deduce it down to being an act of impulsiveness, but it was hard to believe that it was no more than just that.

“And even if I did have a reason, it’s not like I’m gonna present you with a sob story about my life. So don’t expect anything like to come from me,” Jason stated very bluntly. He didn’t need to have the detective skills of Timothy Drake to know what conclusion Jason was trying to make. He was right about not creating sob stories, but he wasn’t as in tune with being subtle by any means. Dick sucked in a breath, really hoping he wasn’t going to end up regretting what he was about to ask the marksman before him. It was either get it out in the open or don’t. Neither of which would really have splendid, over the top outcomes.

“So if you did theoretically have something in mind, what would it happen to be?” Dick said, in what he hoped was the least antagonizing way possible. He didn’t want to be the one to set off the figurative fuse in someone who would openly set off a literal fuse.

Jason actually paused for a moment, actually seeming to consider what the former acrobat had asked. Realistically, Dick wasn’t sure if he really wanted to hear a response to the question, now that he already went through the trouble of asking.

If felt like as long as a trip to hell and back when waiting for Jason’s response. When he finally trained his gaze back to Dick, he had quite the content expression for someone who was ready to take someone’s head off a few moments before. That fact got Dick more on edge than anything that Jason could possibly say, as far as he was concerned. “You really wanna know, Dickie-bird?” Jason didn’t bother waiting for Dick’s reply. “It’s because Bruce is an asshole. When you two took me in, I didn’t volunteer to be killed a few years after. Bruce isn’t really part of my life anymore, but you? I can’t let go of you just yet.”


End file.
